Sig 226 vs Sig 229

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Hey I just got to the GA. and I am looking at buying my first handgun. I am trying to deciede between the Sig 229 and the Sig 226 both in the 9mm. I am going to the range later this week to shoot both. Does anybody have a preference that they could recommend. Thanks for your help

I own and prefer the 229. My observations between the 229 and the 226 are as follows:

The 229 has a slide milled from a solid piece of stainless steel. The serations are smaller than the 226. The 226 slide is stamped metal. The 229 barrel is 1/2" shorter than the 226. The grip is slightly larger/longer on the service size 226. Magazine capacity differs between the two models. In short, I have small hands so the 229 fits me better. Both are trucks...one has bigger tires.

The 229 is a nice weapon, and I think you'll find it quite accurate. I'm a big 229 fan. The heavier slide really makes the 229 handle well. The mag capacity is a bit smaller in the 229, but its compact size really makes the gun point well. It also feels quite comfortable. More so than the 226.

Go with what feels best and what shoots best for you. I like the 229 but opted to buy the 226 instead. And I have never regreted my choice and have no plans to buy a 229 in the future, although knowing me I'll eventually have one anyway. The 229 may be more comfortable for carry as it has been reported to me. I've been carrying my 226 for four years now almost every day so I hardly even know it's there anymore, but at first I knew it and I knew it well! Nothing felt better than taking that belt off at the end of the day, but now just feel naked without it.

When it comes to those two guns, in my humble opinion, it is really just a matter of prefrance.

Sig P229 vs P226

In my department I was issued the P226 allong with the rest of the "Street Cops" while the detectives and top brass were issued the P229 which is just a bit shorter. I think that is is only about 1/2" shorter but there is not much difference between the 2 guns. We all had the Sig Pro 2340 which is bigger in the grip and frame etc, Either the p226 or p229 will do the job.

P226R has a milled slide...

The 229 has a slide milled from a solid piece of stainless steel. The serations are smaller than the 226. The 226 slide is stamped metal.

I called Sig customer service, and the gentleman I spoke with told me that the older version of the 226 were in fact stamped, but a late model 226 will have a milled slide.

I asked him if he could supply me with the beginning serial number for the milled series, and he did not have that info at hand.

I asked if the Crimson Trace grips were ever put on the milled version and he said "no"

So if I get a factory Crimson Trace P226R, I can be guaranteed that it is milled and not stamped. I am sure that there are other ways of verifying the milled vs stamped question, but I have mine worked out...I still need to make a decision...only 4 weeks to go

sig

My P226 is 18 years old last year i had it refinished with the Nitron.....trigger job...springs changed.....night sights and a Crimson Trace sights added the gun is new again and ready for 18 more years

226 for me.

I just tried both guns on Friday. If you have large hands the 226 is really nice. The 229 is a great gun, but my hands are big enough that I can't get as secure a grip as I'd like on the 229. Consequently the recoil feels worse for me on the 229. None the less I have that issue on most compact frames so if it is for concealed carry I still might have to go 229 because they have a pretty chunky grip. Shaving off a little grip length would make for more confortable carry.
The single action trigger pull on both is absolutely great. DA pull is long and heavy, but that's the way it should be for safety on that gun.

I just tried both guns on Friday. If you have large hands the 226 is really nice.

That's funny...I held both guns yesterday, and they felt almost identical to me. Based on what many around here say, I expected to feel a big difference between the two guns, but I could barely tell any differences. The 226 had a longer handle, but as for circumference, they were pretty close.

I do not have big hands; both seemed to fit pretty well. For me, the choice is between the two different barrel lengths, not the size of the grips.
Maybe for people with really large or really small hands, the difference will be more apparent...?

After seeing the store clerk take apart that 226, I knew that I wanted it. He showed me all the areas where Sig has gone the "extra mile" in providing additional quality. The slide rails are full length (not sure if that matters too much) and the recoil spring is braided. In addition, the barrel of the Sig does not float like all the other guns I have handled. The only other gun I have handled with a barrel as solid is the PX4.

All in all, it is about $200 more than a similar Glock (online prices)...and I feel that is the best $200 you could ever spend. I will say this for the Glock, the looser tolerances probably make it more reliable on the LARGE scale. Both guns can be buried underground, and such, but at the end of the day, the Glock, with it looser fitting parts, can likely take a little more dirt and grime without failing...this is OK with me though as I do not live underground.

The 229 is made for concealed carry. Meaning the edges are rounded and more forgiving to one's hands/clothing. As example, the 226's magazines are made more for duty usage. The mags have sharp points where the 229's magazines are rounded.

For CCW my vote goes to the 229, but having a 226 as a backup is also worth while!

As others have told you --"you can't go wrong with either SIG", so you can't go wrong following Shipwreck's advice and - Pick the one that feels best in your hand. Grip is everything in a handgun, followed by trigger control, IMHO

As far as quality, SIG,s 9mm has been a VERY reliable Pistol over the years. I own one of the first P-226's imported into the country [ circa 1984 ] and I have never experienced a jam or FTF with this gun. That's 20 years of shooting without a problem I have gone through several recoil springs ....and have rebuilt my magazines a few times - but that's it. Still using the same barrel -- I have lost count on the bullet count - maybe 25,000 rds.

Back in the 80's when the United States Secret Service was testing pistols to go into service .......... they ran a performance test which lasted over 100,000 rounds. Each pistol tested was NOT allowed to be cleaned and was taken out of the testing upon its jamming or FTF. ONLY the P-226 made it to the 100,000 round count. The next closest pistol was around the 75,000 rd marker, if I remember correctly. I talked personally to the testers - uniformed division - and they were very impressed with this model.

The railed version of the P-226 is a very solid and well built "service" pistol - just like it was designed to be.

Good luck with your choice ........ not often are you presented with choices with no real wrong answer

You don;t really say how the firearm will be used. If it's CCW I'd say P229, but other then that I'd go with P226. I'm buying my third P226 this week and I've always loved them. My first was the stamped slide. Never had a problem. My new one is a P226ST. ST means all stainless steal. Adds more weight. I love to shoot it and do so in .40 S&W. My girlfriend is buying a P226ST in 9MM and I'm told it's almost like shooting a .22.

I have shot both, and currently own a 229 in 9mm and carry it alot. I highly recommend getting a hogue slip on grip. The're only about 20 bucks, but make the pistol feel worth a whole lot more. I have a screw on but still like the slip on better.